Saturday, August 4, 2012

Sky Bauble...fine trinketry!


photo by suzanne * July 24, 2012

As is my nature, while toolin' around one hot afternoon on I-30, just a little west of Fort Worth, I was looking around, (since I wasn't driving)...for anything of interest, that, maybe I hadn't seen before.  I'm sure I've probably mentioned to you that I'm always after a story.  Oh, not that I don't have plenty of stories tucked away for a rainy day, but, sometimes I just want to find something new.  And, sometimes I have to go out into the field to see what I can come up with.  We're cruising down the highway, and, POW! There looms this rustic 'herculean-like' object, just off to the right of the freeway!  What in the world...?  Of course, I didn't have my camera with me...sometimes I just don't think I'll see any photoworthy items...sound familiar?  But Karo said we could go back soon with the camera to get a few shots, and, we did!

* So, "What is this mammoth creature?", you ask'?
*  I say, "Why, it's an 'armillary'!"
* You:  "Armillary?"
* Me:  "Yes, a sphere made up of rings representing celestial longitude and latitude."
* You:  "What is it used for?"
* Me:  "It is used to map the constellations, demonstrating the motion of the stars around the earth.  There are 6 exterior parts (or rings) of this sphere that represent  the circles of the heavens."

Oh, what the heck!!!  Here's a diagram of one.
~ Armillary ~
It is said to have been invented by the Greek Astronomer Hipparchus

* "So, what's this got to do with your photo?" you ask.

As we got closer to the structure, we could see that this colossal sphere was atop a small building-somehow attached so as to anchor the crude structure.  It turns out that this is an ironworks company owned by a couple of guys, and, it's been here since 1985!

Aaron Ornamental IronWorks * Fort Worth, Texas
~photo by Suzanne

I had occasion to sift through the Aaron Ornamental Iron Works website, and was pleasantly amazed at  the work they do.


This awning is 'Fabulous'!


 Beautiful 'balcony boxes'!


'Ornate, ornate, and ornate! Gorgeous door!


Is this a stairway, or what?  Awesome!

Who'd have thought all of this beautiful stuff could be designed and produced in that little building with tin siding?  Well, wonders never cease (as my mom says)! 
 Some of their projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area include:

* The Fort Worth Mint
* Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
* Six Flags Over Texas
* Medical City Dallas

And, they are still up and running, committed to excellence in the iron work industry.  It looks to me as though they have a lot of excellence under their belts.  It is a very impressive portfolio, loaded with plenty of artistic and engineering talents for this Fort Worth landmark!

Oh....what about my bauble?  Well, I have found that the 'armillary' is also used in garden design.  And...I HAPPEN to know that 'what's-her-name' over at MyTexasGardens has a concrete column, about 3 feet tall, just sitting way out in the back forty of her yard-with nothing to do.  Maybe we can shame her into adding another feature to her garden!!!  How about it Susan?

Here are 2 examples of what you can do with these interesting trinkets:
Very 'old world' and classy!


Elegant

Isn't it amazing what you can learn from just one photograph?  I have to tell you, I had no idea what an 'armillary' is!  And, I must confess, even tho I read about it, I didn't totally understand all of the scientific terminology, but, I did pick up on some of it, thankfully so!

"Involve me, and, I learn."
~Benjamin Franklin

***
Thank you so much for stopping by to see what I am up to on this hot, dog-day of summer.  Actually, (guilty as charged) I have been watching the Olympics in the evenings, and, enjoying all of the games.  Consequently, I have neglected my blog reading, and, I am backtracking to catch up-is there an Olympic event for blogging? Nah!  Congratulations to all of the medal winners, and, to those who qualified to participate.  The competition was pretty stiff!!!  The gymnastics were pretty intense, and, I detected a bit of poor sportsmanship (specifically in the women's gymnastics), but, all in all, I have the utmost respect for teams who displayed respect for others, and, represented their countries proudly!  I've also enjoyed getting to see some of beautiful London!  I loved seeing The Tower of London and the bridge over the Thames-please take me there, someone!

***
Wow!  Let Me Thank:
wikipedia
yahoo images
google

*do all of the above references mean I needed help with this post?

does a bear...?

this little tidbit was emailed to me by a co-worker
~ thank you Jeff!

Be safe...see you next time!

8 comments:

  1. Hi there, Susan! I'm happy to know that you and I have a friend in common. I think 'what's-her-name' over at MyTexasGardens is a pretty terrific gal! This was an excellent post. It demonstrates how much you can learn and how much fun you can have when you take the time to investigate something new that catches your attention. I am amazed at the beautiful ironwork produced by your local company. The staircase is truly awesome. I hope Hootie and other kids his age follow your example, get curious about the world around them, and experience the joy of discovery. It was very kind of you to post such a thoughtful comment to Kathleen's latest chapter on my blog, Susan. You are a very special friend. I hope you have a great Sunday and happy week ahead.

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  2. Good evening Mr Knight. You know I just can't seem to work a project without seeing what is actually behind it. You're right about the fun part of learning. If you're having fun, you don't realize you're learning! I, too, was amazed at the ironworks once I found the website...they've certainly got a lot of talent!

    I really like Kathleen's writings. She so eloquently conveys the events of her mother's life as tho she lives them herself. You also had to do some digging to make it possible for her to bring out her story!

    Thank you so much for stopping by, and for the thoughtful compliments on my post. Have a good week, Shady!

    P.S. Love the 'Hootie' comment! haha! I did see your later OOPS! I did laugh when I read that, lol!♫

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  3. oh wow susan!! VERY very cool curly-q's and circles...spheres. when i see these kinds of shapes i think of unity...eternity...whole-ness.

    and wrought iron...i've always had a thing for that too. i just like metal. any of the heavy metals...i like the feel...the weight.

    and that NO DUMPING....hahahahaaa!!!!!

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    1. Hi Laura, I like wrought iron too, and, it's amazing what they can do with it. What a craft! Circles and spheres always seem to bring us to eternity and wholeness, I think of the sky and stars. This was something good to learn about.

      Haha! loved the 'no dumping' sign too...just had to use it. Thanks for coming by and saying hello. We're hoping to get a little rain from 'Ernesto', or whatever the newest hurricane's name is. I don't see it heading your way at this point. Hugs!♥

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  4. Hi Susan, well I learnt a whole lot of stuff from your post. I was also very taken with the beautiful ironwork that's produced by that company. Such beautiful balcony work and oh my goodness, that gorgeous awning! I love the little stairway on the top of their factory roof as well - it is quirky.
    It never ceases to amaze me... there's always something new to learn in this life isn't there. Thank you for sharing it with us and perhaps that lovely lady over in the Texas Gardens blog just might pop something interesting on her spare column ;D) If she does, I'll look forward to her blog about it ;D)
    Cheerio for now and have a great week. Kindest regards :D)

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    1. Hello Susan. I was real impressed with the work this company does! Oh, that awning...so beautiful, and different. Just like you said in your Sunday post, one photo becomes an important part of your life and being! And, I'm grateful that I can learn something new from a lot of my photos.

      Yeah, I'll have to get whats-her-name over at TexasGardens to come up with something good. But things are starting to suffer from the heat. Thank you for coming by and saying hello! See you soon!♥

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  5. Hi Susan! Yes, I'm quite fond of old whats-her-name over at My Texan Garden! That really was a lovely structure that you spied, and then returned to photograph. I'm very impressed that you did all that research, but it certainly made for a very interesting post. The photos of all the various ironwork were amazing, and I absolutely loved the beautiful curve of that staircase. Good to see you here today my friend.

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  6. Hi Thisisme! That staircase was really something...great work and beautiful. I like doing a little research, and learnng more along the way. It started out just to be a photo, but I wasn't satisfied until I found out its origin. I'll be talking to whats-her-name over at MyTexasGardens about future posts!

    Thank you for coming by, and for your kind comments. It's fund to see you nearly every day! I'm watching beach volleyball between Chekslovakia (don't know how to spell it) and USA. That's one of my favorite events. See you soon♥

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